Yes, Yami x Mahaado is fun! Pity I’m putting all my other fics on hold right now…

Chapter 8

Life in the Shadow Realm was comfortable. He did not precisely feel lonely in any way, shape or form. It was nice…

He felt at peace here. His monsters were fun to observe, he spent many days walking through the streets of his fortress-city, marveling at how some of them seemed more human than others, but none were like Mana and Mahaado. They had some semblance of a personality, but not enough. Pity. Still, perfection was hard to obtain and so he made do with what he had. It was quite a bit.

Still, he would have worried, but as Mahaado said, time had stopped outside of this realm. Yuugi and Anzu were still frozen in that hamburger stand, laughter and joy…

He found himself strangely unmoved. If his partner was in love with the girl and she loved him back, well, all the more happiness for them. They would make a good match. Both were sweet, innocent, and incapable of functioning alone.

Besides, he did not need Anzu. He felt little attraction to her. He would not betray Mahaado for a cheap roll in the hay. She wasn’t even that beautiful!

His Dark Magician was brilliant though, as darkly triumphant as he, power hidden beneath a placid expression. Yami liked it.

He liked it a lot.

However, he had to leave sometime… Aishizu’s prediction about the God Cards and the role they would play could not be denied…

“Pharaoh.”

“What is it, Mahaado?”

“The gateways can be opened.” Mahaado gave him a half-smile. “You can go home now.”

Home?

Japan wasn’t home, that was Yuugi’s home and while it was light and somewhat homey in its own way, Grandpa did not know he existed and really, it was Yuugi’s life, not his…

It was not his home…. He felt as if he belonged here, with the shadows…

But he had to leave. He had to go save the world, as Aishizu promised he would… had to stop the darkness growing in the tomb-keeper’s heart…

It seems that the Gods like to recycle their heroes…

“Mahaado… come with me.”

“I cannot, my Pharaoh.” Mahaado whispered, brushing a chaste kiss across Yami’s lips. “I cannot leave this Realm.”

“Why not? I could summon you…”

“Would you, Pharaoh? If you summoned me, I would be nothing but a soulless puppet, a puppet of flesh and blood instead of a hologram, yes, but… that would be all. I only live truly, in this realm…”

I have nothing else left in the world. I gave up on life long ago. Now, I only exist in this plane, and in your mind…

Pharaoh, do you understand?

He might not look it, but he did. He knew what it was like to only exist in spirit, possessing a host to … drain life, almost, being unable to live….

He couldn’t condemn Mahaado to that. He couldn’t!

It would be unfair, unjust, and wholly cruel… and even if he pitiless to his enemies, he didn’t want to hurt his own monsters!

That was like… well, Pandora. And he did not want to be a hypocrite any longer… if he could not…

Trust in the heart of the cards, and they will trust in you and guide you truly…

I want to believe that. I may be naïve in that assumption, but I promise, I will not betray you again.

His deck was close and warm and he gave Mahaado one last kiss before he stepped through the portal.

Reality was odd. Realizing that he could not feel Yuugi in his mind any longer was also odd, but the puzzle as warm against his chest and his deck pulsed with life.

They were waiting, willing, and ready to do battle against his opponents once again. He could feel their lives like sunshine, honey-gold in the back of his mind, waiting. All these souls bound to his will…

Ah, Pegasus, what did you bring upon this world when you resurrected Duel Monsters? Did you know, how the Ka of prisoners, and later innocents, were harvested?

Did you realize that you’d opened the gates to Shadow again?

Or, are you truly Akunadin reincarnated? If so, that would explain your… fixation with Kaiba, would it not, dear uncle?

How interesting…

Yuugi was confused. He could no longer feel Yami in his mind, and the puzzle was gone! Had someone stolen it?

“Hello, partner…”

He jumped. Standing behind him, clad in crisp black leather and silk, stood his other half, puzzle on chain in hand.

Yuugi stared.

“Yuugi?” Anzu came out from behind him, a milkshake in one hand, and almost dropped it. “Y-Yami? How?”

Yami smiled, although it didn’t quite touch his eyes. “A friend helped me out.” He said simply.

“A friend?”

“Did you get your memories back already?” Yuugi asked.

“Partially, yes… but I’ll need the God Cards to regain the rest, no matter what calamity they may bring. Ah, Father… I almost wish you’d known….”

Yuugi and Anzu exchanged worried looks. “Yami?”

“It’s all right, Anzu, Yuugi. Thank you for all your help.” Yami smiled. “But don’t worry. I will protect my friends this time.”

I could not protect any of you last life… you all gave your lives to save me so I could summon the Gods, and yet, in the end, all that happened was a sealing. And until the Dark RPG begins again, I cannot change a thing.

The past has already ended. I lost everything, and sealed Zork instead the Puzzle. But this time, I will be strong enough to face the Memory World.

I will not fail.

“Are you sure you’re all right, Yami? You’re acting differently.” Anzu said. And the way he’d mentioned a friend…

She couldn’t suppress a hot flash of jealousy. Was that friend more than a friend?

Yami caught that and frowned in surprise, before shaking his head. Didn’t Anzu love Yuugi? Or had he been mistaken?

There was still time to fix things though. Until then…

I’ll play the rest of this tournament to win, Tomb Keeper, and I promise, I will not let the darkness win!

End Chapter

Completed 10/15/05